A new venture from Dark Horse alongside a few other new titles that are still ongoing. Written by Invasion scribe Tom Taylor and illustrated by Chris Scalf, who I knew best for his stunning cover art, the series is a real treat. While it doesn't contain as much of the usual 'Stuff' I like to blabber on about it is still a great series and worthy of recognition.
New Creatures
Balyeg
This monstrous beast is described by Jango Fett as the most fearsome thing in the Galaxy. To face it is to face fear itself. He sent his son to retrieve a tooth from this terrible creature in order that he might face fear and never be afraid again. Boba remembered his father's words, remaining unafraid in the most dangerous situations.
Story
Jango and his young son Boba go on an assignment given to them by Count Dooku. Jango assassinates a man who always wears a mask, and when he takes off the mask he sees his own face. The man is a clone who rebelled and started a family, with a wife and young son. Jango leaves and eventually leaves money for the boy, feeling responsible. Years later Boba is a grown man and, unknowing of his father's decision, takes a bounty on the Clone's son, quickly learning the truth. Boba faces a hard decision, made even harder by the fact that he is not the only hunter tracking his strange relative.
Honestly a really good read well worth checking out once the graphic novel comes out.
Here's some of the Sci-Fi I've been into last month.
1. The Ultimates Vol1
I borrowed this from a friend on high recommendation and loved every page. What I liked about Ultimates is you could get into the action and enjoy the characters without having a garage filled with plastic cased issue#1s. If you know nothing about Marvel then yeah, you'll be lost - but if you've seen the movies, read a few graphic novels and spend some hours on wikis like I have then you're well in there. And there were still a bunch of characters I hadn't heard of, but I didn't need to as they were woven into the story so well. The story was epic, dealing with the political consequences of assembling a super-team as well as the emotional consequences of putting together a group of people with a ton of emotional baggage and superpowers. Plus big and I mean BIG battles going on here!!
2. TRON
Yeah, the new movie's out - but I couldn't watch it without seeing the original. So again I managed to borrow this from a friend. It was a lot of fun to laugh at the graphics of the movie, but at the same time it was a very enjoyable experience. I quite like the fanciful notion of programs having personalities and even the risk of one taking over our world. I also admired that, while they updated the effects a, they still kept the same fun vibe in the new one.
3. Star Wars Legacy:War #1
OK, this one I bought! Legacy is back for a final fling, so expect plenty more posting from me!! I really enjoyed the first issue, with Darth Krayt back from the dead and seeking vengeance of the usurper that rules in his name. I had hoped for a little more action, with this one mostly setting the stage for the galactic war to come - but we did get to see Krayt's new warships and Sith Troopers in action and the future looks good!
4) Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale
This was a Christmas Present - the latest story in the Firefly universe from Dark Horse Comics. I'd really been looking forward to this one, getting an insight into the life of one of the most mysterious characters in the show. It uses an unusual narrative style, going backwards through his life, to show the choices he made, how he became a Shepherd, how he fell in with both Alliance and Browncoat elites and how a sudden revelation spurred him to find God. A very interesting read.
OK first thing's first - I'm changing the name because I plan to cover other games with this post. Reach has long since been finished, but there's plenty of cool stuff I'd still like to talk about and there's one more level to go so may's well carry on for now. But I'd also like to talk about The Force Unleashed II and at some point I'm going to replay Mass Effect 2 and I might go through the DLC packs as I get to them
Anyway - reach for now - I can't for the life of me remember what armour I wore so I'm going to skip right on to...
New Stuff
Skirmishers
These nasty critters are the only new enemy type in Reach, though I s'pose all the other Covenant units have had a bit of an upgrade, but these guys are brand new. They are the same species as the Jackals which have been common from Halo 1, but these ones are a little different. Aside from being a little bigger, and having prominent feathers, Skirmishers are also far more agile, able to leap incredible distances and cover ground quickly. They are very nasty in packs and can make quick work of anyone they come across. They are resilient to attack, though if you're quick enough to get them in the head they drop quickly. It was great to see something new and more variety to the Covenant's arsenal.
Onager Magnetic Accelerator Cannon
This was exciting!! MAC guns are a big part of Halo, from the Orbital Defense platforms around Earth to the leader power in Halo Wars. But this is the only time we've been able to properly man one! This large surface to air battery uses magnetic coils to rapidly fire powerful shells at enemy vehicles. Noble Six was able to use it to annihilate incoming aircraft and destroy a CCS-Class Covenant ship.
That's it for that level, but there are a few more things I'd like to share with you - as I did the skirmishers I'll also post about the other new species shown in Reach though they appear in earlier levels.
Moa
The addition of a few native species to the planet Reach was a nice touch, giving the planet more of a believable feel to it. Moa are large flightless birds, similar in size to an Ostrich, but with more prominent plumage, they run around at high speed, adding to the Chaos as you engage the Covenant for the first time. They are are harmless and try to get out of your way, but if you're feeling a bit dark then there's an achievement for mowing these creatures down.
Guta
Guta are cool! They absolutely monstrous creatures that smash things with their huge arms and tusks. Normally calm creatures the ones you meet are agitated by Covenant forces and while it's fun to watch the kick the snot out of some Grunts they quickly turn their rage on you and can't recognize friend from foe. They can bat you across the map with a swipe of their claw and do serious damage, even to a Spartan. I tried not to kill these creatures, they're not evil after all, but it's pretty hard to get past without taking at least one of them down.
Hologram
And I'll briefly talk about an armour ability too if I may. I didn't use the Hologram ability until late in the game, but now i really enjoy it, though I've yet to fully master it. It does what it says on the tin - creates a hologram! It creates an identical likeness of the user and direct the hologram to to location indicated by looking. The hologram will then run in that direction distracting opponents and giving the use the advantage. I found good uses for it, I'd pop into cover then send out the hologram, then pop out the other side and knife the elite in the back - good times!
Campaign
Noble-Six and the rest of the team ride in a Pelican to take Cortana to the Pillar of Autumn. They come under heavy fire and Emile and Noble Six drop out of the Pelican, with Carter still flying. They go on foot till the ship is in sight.
Then I waited a while to practice so I could do this....
Very frustrating at first - but an awesome feeling once achieved!
The two Spartans continue on foot and on Mongoose, with Carter keeping the heavy artillery off their backs until they are blocked by a Scarab. Carter makes the ultimate sacrifice, ramming his Pelican into the vehicle and knocking it off the cliff. Emile and Six carry on alone until they reach Captain Keyes and hand over Cortana. Emile mans the MAC turret, but is overwhelmed by Elites and goes down fighting, taking several with him. Noble Six stays behind, keeping the skies clear so the ship and escape and travel to a strange construct known as Halo...
I got Emile's voice for Firefight - I will get Carter's but it is a bit pricey!!
More soon, 'cause as any Halo fan knows - you watch the credits!!
